US Outdoor Track & Field Championship Maine Preview


Meet Entries

Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California is host of the USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which runs from June 23-25. The best athletes in the country will compete to qualify for the IAAF World Championships later this Summer. Maine has multiple athletes expected to compete for a spot on the US team. Let's take a look at Mainers who are expected to make the trip to Sacramento.



Mens' 800 Meters
Fresh off a runner-up finish in the 800m at the NCAA Championships, Penn State sophomore (and Lewiston High School graduate) Isaiah Harris is slated to compete in the first round of the 800 meters on Thursday at 4 p.m.. Harris ran a PB of 1:45.12 at the Virginia Challenge back in April, which currently sits as the fourth-fastest time in the US. Harris finished sixth in the finals of the Olympic Trials last July running 1:46.67, missing the USA team by .99 seconds so he has an outside chance to make the US team. However the 800 field is arguably the deepest and most talented field assembled among the distance events, so even making the final would an accomplishment for the sophomore.



Womens' 800 Meters
Washburn native Carsyn Koch will likely compete in the 800m, which is set to go off right after the men's rounds. Koch is the reigning D2 National Champion in the 800m after running 2:05.21 in the final, and ran a season-best of 2:02.87 at the Dr. Keeler Track and Field Invitational back on May 11. She owns the D2 record in the 800m after running 2:02.39 back in 2016 at the Payton Jordan Invitational. Koch competed at the Olympic Trials last July and finished fifth in her preliminary heat, running 2:05.57. She is also entered in the 1500m.



Mens' 1500 Meters

Brunswick native Will Geoghegan is expected to compete in the first round of the 1500m, which is scheduled to start at 7:44 p.m. ET on Thursday. Geoghegan finished eighth in the 1500m final back in 2015 running 3:40.05. He has come back very strong since injury and recently ran 3:56.24 in the mile at the Adrian Martinez Classic in Concord, Massachusetts back on June 1. The time currently sits as the second-fastest mile in Maine history and the 14th-fastest in the US in 2017. He recently finished 12th in the 1500m at the Portland Track Festival in Oregon back on June 11, running 3:40.97.



Mens' 5,000 Meters
North Yarmouth native Ben True will look to make his second world team in the 5,000m, which is set to go off on Friday at 9:10 p.m. In 2015 True was the runner-up to winner Ryan Hill running 13:51.09, then went on to finish sixth in the finals of the World Championships in August running 13:54.07, missing a medal by less than two seconds. After finishing fifth at the US Olympic Trials last June, True has shown great form in 2017. He ran 13:06.74 indoors at Boston University in February and broke his own American Record on the roads in the 5k running 13:20 at the BAA 5k in April, winning the event for the fourth time. His 13:06.74 is currently the second-fastest in the US in 2017. Ben also boasts a PB of 13:02.74 which is the ninth-fastest time in US history.

Also expected to compete is Veazie native Riley Masters. Masters, who competed at the University of Maine and finished his collegiate career at the University of Oklahoma, finished ninth in the finals back in 2015. Masters' most recent race came at the Portland Track Festival where he finished fourth in the 1500m, running 3:38.76. Masters ran 13:29.85 at the Payton Jordan Invitational finishing fifth back on May 5, and has a PB of 13:17.97 -- a time thank ranks fourth in Maine history.



Mens' 10,000 Meters

Athens native Matt McClintock will be making his first trip to the US Championships. McClintock, who now competes for Zap Fitness, achieved the qualifying standard in the 10,000m after running 28:27.14 at the Portland Track Festival, finishing fourth overall. The time currently sits as the 15th-fastest time in the US in 2017 and is the fifth-fastest in Maine history. McClintock was a two-time NCAA cross country All-American at Purdue University, and won the Big 10 5,000m in the spring of 2015. He would later go on to finish seventh in the 5,000m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to receive another All-American honor. The 10,000m goes off at at 9:09 p.m. on Thursday.



Womens' Long Jump
Fresh off a National Championship less than two weeks ago, Georgia redshirt freshmen, and Casco native, Kate Hall is expected to compete in the long jump which starts on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. Halls winning jump of 22 feet, 1 inch at the NCAA Championships in Oregon currently sits as the sixth-longest mark in the US in 2017. Hall finished 10th in the final at the Olympic Trials last July, jumping 20-09.75 feet.



20km Race Walk
Boothbay native Matthew Forgues will compete in the 20 kilometer race walk on Sunday, the final day of competition, at 9 a.m. Forgues finished fourth in the 50km race walk at the 2016 Olympic Trials last July, completing the race in four hours, 33 minutes and 59 seconds. Forgues has a qualifying mark of 1:33:16, which is the seventh-fastest in the field.